by Rebecca Cochran
 
I enjoyed a chamber music recital last evening. It opened with Bach’s 6th Brandenburg Concerto. Among other works, the program also included the Octet for Wind Instruments by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971).
 
In an earlier post, I wrote about Bach’s unusual scoring in his final Brandenburg Concerto. Stravinsky’s scoring for his Octet was unusual as well: flute, clarinet in Bb and A, two bassoons, trumpet in C, trumpet in A, tenor trombone and bass trombone. The Octet is generally regarded as the start of neoclassicism in Stravinsky’s music; some even refer to it as Stravinsky’s attempts to go “Back to Bach.”
 
After the 1923 premiere of the Octet in Paris, reviews were mixed. However, following a later performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1924, one reviewer wrote that the Octet is “an ingenuity in counterpoint, a seventh Brandenburg Concerto.”

by Rebecca Cochran
 
According to Johann Forkel who penned the first biography of Bach in 1802, “In musical parties, Bach took pleasure in playing the viola. With this instrument he was in the centre of harmony, whence he could best hear and enjoy it on both sides."
 
Bach understood the potential of the viola. In his orchestral works, the viola part is as important as the other string parts. In the 6th Brandenburg Concerto, the violins are completely absent.
 
There is much speculation as to why Bach chose to omit the violin from this and other works. One theory is that Bach wished to upset the musical status quo by giving the violas, typically played by servants and other “lesser” individuals, a more important role.
 
I cannot help but be proud of the fact that my favorite composer, way back in 1721, was a proponent of equal rights!

by Rebecca Cochran
 
When I visited Boston last month, a highlight was the opportunity to hear all six Bach Brandenburg Concertos in a single evening. In fact, I planned my entire trip around this performance.
 
And, what a performance it was! The Chameleon Arts Ensemble is comprised of some of Boston’s finest musicians. The review by Leon Golub in The Boston Musical Intelligencer details their incredible performances.
 
Well-loved to this day, the Brandenburgs represent output from one of the least stressful and most productive periods of Bach’s life -- when he was the music director in the little town of Coethen. Bach wrote these as a set, but we rarely have the opportunity to hear the complete set in a live performance.
 
Over the years, I have enjoyed hearing or participating in many a live performance of a single Brandenburg Concerto, normally as part of a larger program of diverse works. Hearing all six on a single program allowed me to listen differently. I was able to make comparisons and enjoy the seemingly endless instrumental pairings, moods, colors and styles Bach offered up. I felt like an insider, almost as if I was right at Bach’s side, relishing each and every brilliant experiment he tried.
 
Like the reviewer, Mr. Golub, if the subsequent repeat performance had not been sold out, I would have happily been there for a second round!